Projects worth crores couldn’t be taken up
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 23: Absence of some members in the High Powered Committee meeting of Jammu Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (JKIDFC) has angered the Financial Commissioner, Finance Department, who is learnt to have taken serious cognizance of the non-participation and conveyed that the crucial meetings should not be attended by the representatives.
A strong worded displeasure in this regard was formally conveyed by the Financial Commissioner, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta after he cancelled the recently scheduled JKIDFC High Powered Committee meeting due to non-participation of the Administrative Secretary, Jal Shakti Department and Administrative Secretary, Planning Development and Monitoring Department.
Because of non-participation of the Administrative Secretaries of these two Departments in the capacity of JKIDFC High Powered Committee members, proceedings of the crucial meeting could not be held and hence the development projects worth crores of rupees were not taken up for discussion and likely approval of the same.
Dr Arun Kumar Meta, Financial Commissioner, Finance Department, is Chairman of the High Powered Committee that approves development projects for funding under JKIDFC. Administrative Secretary of Jal Shakti Department and Administrative Secretary, Planning Development and Monitoring Department are members of the JKIDFC High Powered Committee.
Conveying displeasure over non-participation of the Administrative Secretary, office of the Financial Commissioner Finance has also made it clear that the crucial JKIDFC High Powered Committee meetings shall not be attended by representatives of the members. “This may be duly noted to the committee members who have not attended the meeting on the said date and time,” says the official communiqué in this regard, issued by the Finance Department.
Pertinent to mention that 13th High Powered Committee meeting of JKIDFC was scheduled to be held under the chairmanship of Dr Arun Kumar Mehta in his office chamber at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu, a few days back. Projects worth crores of rupees, including 11 projects of Youth Services and Sports were on agenda of the meeting for deliberation and likely approval of the same.
However, due to non-participation of the Administrative Secretary Jal Shakti Department (Member HPC) and Administrative Secretary, Planning Development and Monitoring Department (Member HPC), the meeting was cancelled by the Financial Commissioner Finance and hence the projects worth crores of rupees could not be taken up for discussion.
JKIDFC is a registered Corporation under the Companies Act that is mandated to raise funds up to Rs 8,000 crore, which are guaranteed by the Union Territory Government, for funding infrastructure development in Jammu and Kashmir.
It may be recalled that in its previous meeting, held on January 8, this month, JKIDFC High Powered Committee had approved 83 CRF projects of Public Works (R&B) Department, worth Rs 1010.55 crores and some projects of Jal Shakti Department.
Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, PW(R&B) Department; Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Director General Budget, officers of JKIDFC are among other members of the High Powered Committee.
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